


When The Battle Is Done

by Tillyalf427



Series: Freed One Shots [23]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Battle of Fairy Tail, Depression, F/M, Female Reader, Gender-neutral Reader, M/M, Multi, Other, References to Depression, male reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 06:38:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19329151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tillyalf427/pseuds/Tillyalf427
Summary: After the battle of Fairy Tail, Freed isolates himself from the rest of the guild and Y/n is determined to find out what's wrong and try and fix their previously developing relationship.





	When The Battle Is Done

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooooo I am back with another one shot. For my last one, I tried writing using gender-neutral pronouns because although I myself am female, I have noticed there is a severe lack of X Male Reader or Gender Neutral Reader so maybe I can change that just a little. Anyway, I will admit this did end completely differently originally but I wasn't 100% sure on it so I've changed it and I might use the other idea for a separate one shot at some point so if the ending feels a bit rushed I guess, that will be why but anyway Enjoy!!!
> 
>  
> 
> ******This chapter does contain three versions of the same fic but the pronouns are different. There are titles before the different versions with different pronouns so you can scroll to whichever pronouns you'd like******

**X Female Reader**

Y/n and Freed's relationship had been developing slowly over the past few months. The H/c girl enjoyed the time she spent with the rune mage and had thought that everything had been going well. Until the day of the Fantasia parade.

The battle of Fairy Tail served to push the two apart again, Y/n finding herself unable to understand why Freed would go along with Laxus' idea and Freed wallowing in regret and self-hatred. In fact, the two had hardly spoken since the battle and it had now been almost a month.

Y/n wasn't truly mad anymore. She had gotten over her anger long ago however, she now had no idea how to approach the rune mage. Freed had begun isolating himself once more which went unnoticed by many, but not Y/n. She had noticed everything. From the slight changes in his mood every day to the way he now interacted with members of the guild. It had been a gradual change in the rune mage however, it was significant enough to be obvious. She had tried speaking to Evergreen and Bixslow, both of whom had made a conscious effort to integrate into the guild more now that Laxus had gone, however, although both had noticed the change in their teammate, neither had been able to get it out of him what was wrong. They had also grown concerned however, they had presumed that the rune mage would come to them eventually when he was ready. So far, this hadn't happened. And Y/n knew she had to do something about it.

She spotted Freed sat alone in the guild the next day, his eyes staring blankly at the book he had in front of him. He didn't look up as she approached, slipping into the seat next to him and gently nudging him with her elbow.

The rune mage turned to look at her blankly and Y/n only then noticed the dark circles rimming his eyes and the paleness of his skin.

"You alright?" She asked, looking at him in concern. Freed turned to glance at her with a practically non-existent smile and nodded wordlessly, doing nothing to ease Y/n's worry.

The H/c girl stared at him in disbelief, trying to catch his eye to figure out what was truly wrong with him, the rune mage, however, pointedly avoided eye contact. Y/n was left with no choice and so, she stood up from where she sat, holding a hand out towards the confused rune mage.

"What are yo...?" Freed began asking, gaining a knowing smile from Y/n. Not having the effort to argue, he took the H/c girls hand and stood up, the two standing for a moment staring at each other as if in a trance before Y/n interrupted it.

"Come on," She spoke quietly, leading the rune mage out of the guild. They began walking in silence, Y/n leading the way and Freed following when they reached a small park, the H/c girl heading towards a bench for them to sit down.

They sat in silence for a moment before Y/n interrupted it, taking both of Freed's hands in her own.

"Please, I want to help...I...I know our relationship hasn't been great since...well...yeah...I miss you, Freed, seeing you like this...so tired...It hurts seeing you like this..." 

The rune mage avoided eye contact again and Y/n lifted a hand up to hold his cheek gently, trying to encourage him to look at her.

"Y/n...I...I appreciate the concern but I'm okay," He brushed her off, removing her hand from his face.

"But you're not! You keep saying you're fine but all you're doing is lying to yourself... Freed...You're not alone...whatever you're going through you're not..." Y/n stared directly into his blue eyes which widened slightly, emotions swirling within them.

"Y/n..."

"Please...Please let me help you...If you tell me what's going on, I'll do whatever I can to help you,"

"I...I'm not going to get you to leave it, am I? Can we go somewhere a bit less public...I'd rather not tell the whole of Magnolia..."

Y/n nodded and held Freed's hand within her own as she led the way to her apartment, giving the rune mage's hand a gentle squeeze as they walked.

They reached Y/n's apartment pretty quickly and the H/c girl unlocked the door, letting the rune mage in before closing the door behind them.

She made some tea for them both, handing Freed a cup before sitting down next to him.

The rune mage closed his eyes and took a deep breath and Y/n gave him time to collect himself, gently squeezing his knee as a form of comfort.

"I...Since the battle of Fairy Tail...something's just not been right...." He began, trying to work out how to explain himself. Y/n nodded in encouragement and he tried to continue "I've...not really slept properly since... every time I do sleep I see myself hurting everyone and wake up again...I guess the guilt is just too much maybe...I have no energy to do anything and I hate it...."

Y/n felt guilt well up inside her for allowing this to go on for so long however, she pushed it to the side and continued listening.

"I thought it would go away after some time...but it's not..." Freed trailed off, his voice barely a whisper

Y/n couldn't contain her emotions anymore, wrapping her arms around the rune mage and pulling him close, feeling him breathing a shuddering breath on her shoulder She gently rubbed a hand up and down his back, trying to comfort the rune mage. 

"Shhh...it's going to be okay...I promise I'm going to do whatever I can to help you..." Y/n spoke quietly. Freed didn't respond, his head buried in Y/n's neck as he calmed his breathing down. He hadn't realised how much bottling this all up was affecting him however, now that it was out in the open, he felt the effects of keeping it quiet hit him full force. Y/n's arms wrapping around him were comforting and he managed to calm himself down more, removing himself from Y/n's arms and leaning back against the back of the sofa with a sigh.

Y/n gave a small smile which the rune mage tried to mirror with a weak smile of his own. The H/c girl gave him another small nudge in the side and suggested

"How about we watch a movie, maybe it will help you fall asleep. And if you have another nightmare, I'll be here when you wake up," 

Freed nodded slightly and Y/n moved to put a movie on before sitting back down and gently pulling the rune mage to rest against her as she sat against the back of the sofa.

"I know this might not help much but...hopefully it did a bit...Just...Know that I'm here for you...." Y/n spoke quietly, her hand gently brushing Freed's fringe out of his face.

The rune mage nodded as much as he could from where he lay, replying in a quiet voice

"It did help...Just having you back with me helps...I thought I had messed things up for good..."

"I could never hate you Freed..." Y/n responded "I only left it so long because I wasn't sure what to say to you,"

"Things aren't magically going to be okay...Unfortunately...I still regret hurting you all....and I need to make up for it....but it feels more...more manageable if you're with me...Like someone understands..." The rune mage was interrupted by a yawn and Y/n gave a small smile again as the movie began playing in the background.

"You've not slept properly in a while, you should get some sleep," The H/c girl tried to encourage, however, based on the way Freed's eyes began slipping closed, there was no need to encourage him. The rune mage soon fell asleep, wrapped up in Y/n's arms as the H/c girl gently ran her hands through his hair in a soothing manner.

Because when the battle is done, it's not only the people who have been hurt who have to deal with things, but also the ones who fought who have to deal with the guilt of what they've done.

 

 

 

** X Male Reader **

Y/n and Freed's relationship had been developing slowly over the past few months. The H/c boy enjoyed the time he spent with the rune mage and had thought that everything had been going well. Until the day of the Fantasia parade.

The battle of Fairy Tail served to push the two apart again, Y/n finding himself unable to understand why Freed would go along with Laxus' idea and Freed wallowing in regret and self-hatred. In fact, the two had hardly spoken since the battle and it had now been almost a month.

Y/n wasn't truly mad anymore. He had gotten over his anger long ago however, he now had no idea how to approach the rune mage. Freed had begun isolating himself once more which went unnoticed by many, but not Y/n. He had noticed everything. From the slight changes in his mood every day to the way he now interacted with members of the guild. It had been a gradual change in the rune mage however, it was significant enough to be obvious. He had tried speaking to Evergreen and Bixslow, both of whom had made a conscious effort to integrate into the guild more now that Laxus had gone, however, although both had noticed the change in their teammate, neither had been able to get it out of him what was wrong. They had also grown concerned however, they had presumed that the rune mage would come to them eventually when he was ready. So far, this hadn't happened. And Y/n knew he had to do something about it.

He spotted Freed sat alone in the guild the next day, his eyes staring blankly at the book he had in front of him. He didn't look up as he approached, slipping into the seat next to him and gently nudging him with his elbow.

The rune mage turned to look at him blankly and Y/n only then noticed the dark circles rimming his eyes and the paleness of his skin.

"You alright?" He asked, looking at him in concern. Freed turned to glance at him with a practically non-existent smile and nodded wordlessly, doing nothing to ease Y/n's worry.

The H/c boy stared at him in disbelief, trying to catch his eye to figure out what was truly wrong with him, the rune mage, however, pointedly avoided eye contact. Y/n was left with no choice and so, he stood up from where he sat, holding a hand out towards the confused rune mage.

"What are yo...?" Freed began asking, gaining a knowing smile from Y/n. Not having the effort to argue, he took the H/c boys hand and stood up, the two standing for a moment staring at each other as if in a trance before Y/n interrupted it.

"Come on," He spoke quietly, leading the rune mage out of the guild. They began walking in silence, Y/n leading the way and Freed following when they reached a small park, the H/c boy heading towards a bench for them to sit down.

They sat in silence for a moment before Y/n interrupted it, taking both of Freed's hands in his own.

"Please, I want to help...I...I know our relationship hasn't been great since...well...yeah...I miss you, Freed, seeing you like this...so tired...It hurts seeing you like this..."

The rune mage avoided eye contact again and Y/n lifted a hand up to hold his cheek gently, trying to encourage him to look at him.

"Y/n...I...I appreciate the concern but I'm okay," He brushed him off, removing his hand from his face.

"But you're not! You keep saying you're fine but all you're doing is lying to yourself... Freed...You're not alone...whatever you're going through you're not..." Y/n stared directly into his blue eyes which widened slightly, emotions swirling within them.

"Y/n..."

"Please...Please let me help you...If you tell me what's going on, I'll do whatever I can to help you,"

"I...I'm not going to get you to leave it, am I? Can we go somewhere a bit less public...I'd rather not tell the whole of Magnolia..."

Y/n nodded and held Freed's hand within his own as he led the way to his apartment, giving the rune mage's hand a gentle squeeze as they walked.

They reached Y/n's apartment pretty quickly and the H/c male unlocked the door, letting the rune mage in before closing the door behind them.

He made some tea for them both, handing Freed a cup before sitting down next to him.

The rune mage closed his eyes and took a deep breath and Y/n gave him time to collect himself, gently squeezing his knee as a form of comfort.

"I...Since the battle of Fairy Tail...something's just not been right...." He began, trying to work out how to explain himself. Y/n nodded in encouragement and he tried to continue "I've...not really slept properly since... every time I do sleep I see myself hurting everyone and wake up again...I guess the guilt is just too much maybe...I have no energy to do anything and I hate it...."

Y/n felt guilt well up inside him for allowing this to go on for so long however, he pushed it to the side and continued listening.

"I thought it would go away after some time...but it's not..." Freed trailed off, his voice barely a whisper

Y/n couldn't contain his emotions anymore, wrapping his arms around the rune mage and pulling him close, feeling him breathing a shuddering breath on his shoulder He gently rubbed a hand up and down his back, trying to comfort the rune mage.

"Shhh...it's going to be okay...I promise I'm going to do whatever I can to help you..." Y/n spoke quietly. Freed didn't respond, his head buried in Y/n's neck as he calmed his breathing down. He hadn't realised how much bottling this all up was affecting him however, now that it was out in the open, he felt the effects of keeping it quiet hit him full force. Y/n's arms wrapping around him were comforting and he managed to calm himself down more, removing himself from Y/n's arms and leaning back against the back of the sofa with a sigh.

Y/n gave a small smile which the rune mage tried to mirror with a weak smile of his own. The H/c male gave him another small nudge in the side and suggested

"How about we watch a movie, maybe it will help you fall asleep. And if you have another nightmare, I'll be here when you wake up,"

Freed nodded slightly and Y/n moved to put a movie on before sitting back down and gently pulling the rune mage to rest against him as he sat against the back of the sofa.

"I know this might not help much but...hopefully it did a bit...Just...Know that I'm here for you...." Y/n spoke quietly, his hand gently brushing Freed's fringe out of his face.

The rune mage nodded as much as he could from where he lay, replying in a quiet voice

"It did help...Just having you back with me helps...I thought I had messed things up for good..."

"I could never hate you Freed..." Y/n responded "I only left it so long because I wasn't sure what to say to you,"

"Things aren't magically going to be okay...Unfortunately...I still regret hurting you all....and I need to make up for it....but it feels more...more manageable if you're with me...Like someone understands..." The rune mage was interrupted by a yawn and Y/n gave a small smile again as the movie began playing in the background.

"You've not slept properly in a while, you should get some sleep," The H/c male tried to encourage, however, based on the way Freed's eyes began slipping closed, there was no need to encourage him. The rune mage soon fell asleep, wrapped up in Y/n's arms as the H/c male gently ran his hands through his hair in a soothing manner.

Because when the battle is done, it's not only the people who have been hurt who have to deal with things, but also the ones who fought who have to deal with the guilt of what they've done.

 

 

 

 

** X Gender Neutral Reader **

  
Y/n and Freed's relationship had been developing slowly over the past few months. The H/c mage enjoyed the time they spent with the rune mage and had thought that everything had been going well. Until the day of the Fantasia parade.

The battle of Fairy Tail served to push the two apart again, Y/n finding themselves unable to understand why Freed would go along with Laxus' idea and Freed wallowing in regret and self-hatred. In fact, the two had hardly spoken since the battle and it had now been almost a month.

Y/n wasn't truly mad anymore. They had gotten over their anger long ago however, they now had no idea how to approach the rune mage. Freed had begun isolating himself once more which went unnoticed by many, but not Y/n. They had noticed everything. From the slight changes in his mood every day to the way he now interacted with members of the guild. It had been a gradual change in the rune mage however, it was significant enough to be obvious. They had tried speaking to Evergreen and Bixslow, both of whom had made a conscious effort to integrate into the guild more now that Laxus had gone, however, although both had noticed the change in their teammate, neither had been able to get it out of him what was wrong. They had also grown concerned however, they had presumed that the rune mage would come to them eventually when he was ready. So far, this hadn't happened. And Y/n knew they had to do something about it.

They spotted Freed sat alone in the guild the next day, his eyes staring blankly at the book he had in front of him. He didn't look up as they approached, slipping into the seat next to him and gently nudging him with their elbow.

The rune mage turned to look at them blankly and Y/n only then noticed the dark circles rimming his eyes and the paleness of his skin.

"You alright?" They asked, looking at him in concern. Freed turned to glance at them with a practically non-existent smile and nodded wordlessly, doing nothing to ease Y/n's worry.

The H/c mage stared at him in disbelief, trying to catch his eye to figure out what was truly wrong with him, the rune mage, however, pointedly avoided eye contact. Y/n was left with no choice and so, they stood up from where they sat, holding a hand out towards the confused rune mage.

"What are yo...?" Freed began asking, gaining a knowing smile from Y/n. Not having the effort to argue, he took the H/c mages hand and stood up, the two standing for a moment staring at each other as if in a trance before Y/n interrupted it.

"Come on," They spoke quietly, leading the rune mage out of the guild. They began walking in silence, Y/n leading the way and Freed following when they reached a small park, the H/c mage heading towards a bench for them to sit down.

They sat in silence for a moment before Y/n interrupted it, taking both of Freed's hands in her own.

"Please, I want to help...I...I know our relationship hasn't been great since...well...yeah...I miss you, Freed, seeing you like this...so tired...It hurts seeing you like this..."

The rune mage avoided eye contact again and Y/n lifted a hand up to hold his cheek gently, trying to encourage him to look at them.

"Y/n...I...I appreciate the concern but I'm okay," He brushed them off, removing their hand from his face.

"But you're not! You keep saying you're fine but all you're doing is lying to yourself... Freed...You're not alone...whatever you're going through you're not..." Y/n stared directly into his blue eyes which widened slightly, emotions swirling within them.

"Y/n..."

"Please...Please let me help you...If you tell me what's going on, I'll do whatever I can to help you,"

"I...I'm not going to get you to leave it, am I? Can we go somewhere a bit less public...I'd rather not tell the whole of Magnolia..."

Y/n nodded and held Freed's hand within their own as they led the way to her apartment, giving the rune mage's hand a gentle squeeze as they walked.

They reached Y/n's apartment pretty quickly and the H/c mage unlocked the door, letting the rune mage in before closing the door behind them.

They made some tea for them both, handing Freed a cup before sitting down next to him.

The rune mage closed his eyes and took a deep breath and Y/n gave him time to collect himself, gently squeezing his knee as a form of comfort.

"I...Since the battle of Fairy Tail...something's just not been right...." He began, trying to work out how to explain himself. Y/n nodded in encouragement and he tried to continue "I've...not really slept properly since... every time I do sleep I see myself hurting everyone and wake up again...I guess the guilt is just too much maybe...I have no energy to do anything and I hate it...."

Y/n felt guilt well up inside them for allowing this to go on for so long however, they pushed it to the side and continued listening.

"I thought it would go away after some time...but it's not..." Freed trailed off, his voice barely a whisper

Y/n couldn't contain their emotions anymore, wrapping their arms around the rune mage and pulling him close, feeling him breathing a shuddering breath on their shoulder. They gently rubbed a hand up and down his back, trying to comfort the rune mage.

"Shhh...it's going to be okay...I promise I'm going to do whatever I can to help you..." Y/n spoke quietly. Freed didn't respond, his head buried in Y/n's neck as he calmed his breathing down. He hadn't realised how much bottling this all up was affecting him however, now that it was out in the open, he felt the effects of keeping it quiet hit him full force. Y/n's arms wrapping around him were comforting and he managed to calm himself down more, removing himself from Y/n's arms and leaning back against the back of the sofa with a sigh.

Y/n gave a small smile which the rune mage tried to mirror with a weak smile of his own. The H/c mage gave him another small nudge in the side and suggested

"How about we watch a movie, maybe it will help you fall asleep. And if you have another nightmare, I'll be here when you wake up,"

Freed nodded slightly and Y/n moved to put a movie on before sitting back down and gently pulling the rune mage to rest against them as they sat against the back of the sofa.

"I know this might not help much but...hopefully it did a bit...Just...Know that I'm here for you...." Y/n spoke quietly, their hand gently brushing Freed's fringe out of his face.

The rune mage nodded as much as he could from where he lay, replying in a quiet voice

"It did help...Just having you back with me helps...I thought I had messed things up for good..."

"I could never hate you Freed..." Y/n responded "I only left it so long because I wasn't sure what to say to you,"

"Things aren't magically going to be okay...Unfortunately...I still regret hurting you all....and I need to make up for it....but it feels more...more manageable if you're with me...Like someone understands..." The rune mage was interrupted by a yawn and Y/n gave a small smile again as the movie began playing in the background.

"You've not slept properly in a while, you should get some sleep," The H/c mage tried to encourage, however, based on the way Freed's eyes began slipping closed, there was no need to encourage him. The rune mage soon fell asleep, wrapped up in Y/n's arms as the H/c mage gently ran their hands through his hair in a soothing manner.

Because when the battle is done, it's not only the people who have been hurt who have to deal with things, but also the ones who fought who have to deal with the guilt of what they've done.

 

 

 


End file.
